Combination gas-tank cap, fuel pipe, and drain pipe lock



T. s. GREER 1,877,418

COMBINATION GAS TANK CAP, FUEL PIPE, AND DRAIN PIPE LOCK Sept. 13, 1932.

Filed NOV. 7. 1950 Greer' QWQLQAAJSL.

ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 13, 1932 TONY s. GREEK, or SACRAMENTO.CALIFORNIA,

COMBINATION GAS-TANK CAP, FUEL PIPE, AND DRAIN PIPE Loci:

Application filed November 7, 1930. Serial No. 494,058.

This invention relates to devices for re- 7' of Fig. 2. o

ducing the theft of automobiles, by preventing the feeding of the gasfrom the main tankto the carbureter, as well as for preventing any gasbeing placed in the tank. A car equipped with my device and with thelatter set so as to function in the above manner can only be driven ashort distance before it will stop on account of a lack of fuel at theengine.

The present invention particularly represents improvements andmodifications over the structure for the same purpose shown in myco-pending application for patent, Serial No. 427,134, filed February10, 1930; now Patent 1,805,868 of May 19, 1931; my main object now beingto simplify the apparatus and render the same more easily applied toalmost any standard form of motor vehicle 2 tank.

Apart from the theft of cars themselves considerable gasoline is stolenby siphoning the same from the main tank or by drawing the fuel from thebottom drain plug.

A further object of my invention therefore is to arrange the apparatusso that the gas cannot be drawn either from the top or bottom openingsof the tank unless the owner so wishes.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts aswill fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawing similar characters of ref- 5 erence indicatecorresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary transverse section of a gas-tank showing thepreferred form of fuel pipe, drain plug and filler tube lockarrangement, the fuel pipe being shown in its open or feeding position.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the fuel pipe closed.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the hand control the position occupiedthereby when the tank cap is removed.

Fig. 4 is a cross section onthe line 4-4 .50 of Fig. 1.

member of the structure shown in I Fig. 5 is a cross section on, theline 55 Fig. 6 is a fragmentary View showinga modified form of fuel pipeclosure. r Referring now more particularly. tothe' characters ofreference on the drawing, and particularly at present to Figs. 1 to 5,the numeral 1 denotes the main fuel tank having a filler tube 2projecting upwardly therefrom on the top, and which is provided with acap 3 having a lock structure 4-incorporated therewith so that the capcan only be removed by the use ofthe proper key. This cap and its lockstructure is preferably of the same type as that shown in my Patent N 0.1,716,724, dated June 11, 1929. i

A vertical fuel pipe 5 extends from and through the top of the tank toone side of the filler tube, down to and through thebottom of the tank;the lower portion of the pipe being vertical and in substantiallycentral alinement with the tube. The lower end of the pipe below thetank is threaded and is provided with a removable cap, 6. This low erextension of the pipe either serves as a. drain opening orenables agravity-feed supply pipe tobejconnected thereto. A

Adjacent the bottom of the tank a hole 7 is drilled into the pipe 5, andthe lower straight portion of said pipe is surrounded by a sleeve 8having a hole '9 therein adapted to register with the hole 7. Thesleevehas a snug but turnable fit on the pipe and toward its upper end isprovided with a circumferential slot 10 in which a pin 11 "rides andwhich .3 projects outwardly from the pipe. The slot is arranged so thatwhen the pin is at one end of the same theholes 7 and .9 register andthe-pin then seats ina slight depression formed in the'top of theslotat. said end as shown in Fig. 1, so.as to: prevent-the sleevepossibly shifting its position with the vibration of the car. When thepin isat the other end of the slot the holes are completely out ofregister with each other. a Provided with the sleeve on oneside is asocket 12 in which the lower-end of a stem13 non-rotatably fits. Thestem above th'e socket is hollow and a rod 14is slidable therein andprojects above the.same;a spring 15 in the stem acting to force the rodupwardly. The rod is permitted limited vertical movement in the stem butis caused to rotate therewith by reason of a vertical slot and pinarrangement therebetween as indicated at 16. The upper end of the rodcarries a knob 17 which is adapted to: abut against and be depressed bythe lock box of the cap when the latter is placed on the filler tube.

When the cap is removed the spring is free to force the rod upwardly,the movement permitted the rod being sufficientito cause it to" thenproject some distance above I the top of the tube as shown in Fig.3,;thus

,fuel can of course be drawn as defined by the appended presenting theknob where it may be readily manipulated by the fingers. c

To move the sleeve to either a pipe-closing oropening position, the cap3 must of course be first removed, which will expose the fin- P gerknob, as above stated. The operator thengrasps the knob and rotates thesame, which will impart a 8 for the length of the slot 10 in onedirection or the other, depending on the direction of rotation of theknob. If the sleeve has been moved to a pipe closing position no fromthe tank through the pipe 5 and to the engine, either from the upper endof said pipe or from the lower gravity feed or drain outlet. Replacingof the cap on the filler tube when the sleeve isthus set willof courseprevent anybody from moving the sleeve out of its closing position; andremoval of the cap can only be accomplishedby the person-having theproper key. 1

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 6 the structure as a whole and itsoperation are the same as above however does not project through thebottom of the tank and the surrounding sleeve 8a P described. The pipe5a extends below and 1s closed across the bottom of the pipe, as shown.This arrangement of course does not control a flow through the drainplugof the tank, and would be used as an installation more easily andcheaply apwhich are already in use.

plied to certain cars From the foregoing description it will be readilyseen that I have produced such a device as will substantially fulfillthe objects of the inventionas set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail thelpresent and preferredconstruction of the .dev1ce,still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted toas do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention,

7 claims.

. Having'thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is '1. Ina fuel tank ing from thetank and having a valvestructure'associated with said vertical tion inone direction or rotation to the sleeve portion of the pipe including amember rotatable axially of the pipe and whose rotation in one directionor the other provides or prevents communication between the tank and theinterior of the pipe, a stem rigid with and upstanding from said member,a finger rod extending upwardly into the tube from the stem and slidablyed tohthe latter, and a sprlng between the stem and rod tending to forcethe stem upwardly; said spring being overcome and the rod depressed byth cap when the latter is in ta v V e I V 2. In a fuel tank having afiller tube on top, a cap for the tube and a fuel pipe leading from thetank and having a vertical portion at its lowerend directly under ,thetube, a valve structure associated with said vertical ortion of the pi eincluding a memberrotatableaxially o thepipe and Whose rotathe otherprovides or revents communication .between the tank and the interior ofthe pipe, and means for rotating said member, said means including a rodprojecting upwardly into the tube, and means acting on the rod to raisethe upper end of thesame above the tube when the cap is removed. I 3. Ina fuel tank, a delivery pipe projecting upwardly through and then out othe tank from an open-ended inception below the tank, a removableclosure for said open end of the pipe, said pipe having a side openingtherein inside and adjacent the bottom of the tank, a closure for saidopening, andmeans to operate said. closure from the exterior of thetank.

4. In a fuel tank having a filler tube on top, a cap for the'tube and afuel pipe leading from the tank;- a

ipe within the tank, hand means for operating the closure, said meansincluding a vertical depressible rod, .and aspring acting on said rod tocause the upper end of the same toproject above tube when the cap isremoved; e

In testimonywhereof I afliX my signature.

. TONY S. GREEK the topfof the filler c...

but non-rotatably connect- EPA closure member for said L.

I I having filler tube on I 'top,'a"cap for the tube and a fuel pipeleada'verticalpor-

